Villa May is that old school pop-and-a-slice pizza joint you and your friends use to hit on the way home from school. What better way to kill those few hours of freedom between the end of the school day and homework/dinnertime than a tall Styrofoam cup of Sprite, a slice or two, and shoving every quarter you have into Streetfighter II? Don't get the impression that Villa May is kids stuff, though: This place may bring back memories of your acne besotted, socially awkward youth, but the food is serious business.
Fresh from its old location on Montrose, Villa May has moved to an expanded space near Lawrence and Ashland. The eatery still retains its old look: The windows are so plastered with neon signs advertising specials, delivery, and painted figures cheering on the Cubs that one can barely see inside. Once in, the décor is straight out of a cafeteria. This isn't any place you'd ever bring a bottle of Cab and sit down to rustic pie with upscale ingredients, but that's OK. That's never what Villa May was meant to be.
The menu is typical of a small mom-and-pop Chicago pizza place: Plenty of fried appetizers to go around, as well as, like the sign in the window says, "pizza, pasta, wings, soup, salads, sandwiches, ribs, and more!" The pasta is decent, and a good-sized portion of spaghetti and meatballs can be had for less than $5.
The focus is on the pizza, though, and this is American pizza. Don't order with any Spacca Napoli-type expectations. The crust here is indeed thin and crisp like an East Coast-style pizza, but the options are pure Chicago gusto. Aside from the delicious deep dish and pan pizza options, there's a section of the menu devoted to 'monster' style pizzas, topped with sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ham, mushrooms, onion, green pepper & black olives resting on a bed of double dough.
Delivery is fast, and you won't be waiting long. On the other hand, if you're nearby, what's stopping from walking over and trying to get the top score on Galaga while you wait for that double crust to bake?
Centerstage Reviewer: Bill Burman
